Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be renaming three islands of Andaman and Nicobar during his visit to Port Blair on Sunday.
According to media reports, Ross Island, Neil Island and Havelock Island will be renamed as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Island, Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep respectively.
PM Modi, who will be accompanied by Home Minister Rajanth Singh, will hoist a 150-metre-high national flag at Port Blair to mark the 75th anniversary of freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose's declaration of the formation of the Azad Hind government in 1943.
After the Japanese had captured the islands during the World War II, Bose who led the National Army in an alliance with Japan hoisted the national flag in Port Blair on December 30 1943.
Bose had reportedly suggested back then that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands be renamed as Shahid and Swaraj Dweep.
Renaming is not a new pattern for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government as the Centre has given consent to renaming of at least 25 towns and villages across India in the past one year.
Allahabad and Faizabad names were changed in November by the Uttar Pradesh governement.
Earlier, BJP lawmaker Sangeet Som demanded that Muzaffarnagar district be renamed to Laxminagar. And a BJP MLA from Agra, Jagan Prasad Garg, said he would be meeting Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for demanding that the district be renamed to Agrawan.
(With inputs from agencies)
